Meatless Mondays and Cold-Pressed Juice: Denver Restaurants Focus On Health

Denver might be a burgerville, and a new hub for doughnuts and desserts, but it keeps its balance with produce-driven menu items that feature local, seasonal, and guilt-free ingredients. The emphasis on health is more prominent than ever among Denver restaurants in 2014. Here are a five menus that have recently gotten health boosts:

1. Second Home Kitchen + Bar is serving up health-focused menu items like roasted beets served with goat cheese, Tuscan kale salad served with pine nuts, and organic grilled salmon. This Cherry Creek restaurant also offers Meatless Mondays, and provides meatless recipes for guests to take home.

2. Pura Vida Fitness & Spa at 2955 East 1st Avenue now offers Birch Elixirs, a line of eight non-alcoholic specialty beverages made from the juice of fruits and vegetables, roots, and herbs. Each elixir is designed with a specific purpose— for example the Vital Skin Renewal with burdock root and blood orange juice promotes healthy skin and nails, and the Vital Thrive with elderberry and ginger boosts immunity. These elixirs are created by Birch Foster, who attended the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies in Boulder and has spent 15 years in the holistic health industry.

3. Beginning at 9 a.m. every Tuesday through Sunday, the Caprock Farm Bar is serving cold-pressed juices, including flavors orange, pear, and cinnamon juice; apple, lemon, and lavender juice; and kale, kiwi, and cucumber juice. Soon these juices will be available to go.

4. Pei Wei Asian Diner, which has several locations throughout Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs just announced its reFRESH, a menu change that includes smaller portions and healthy sides of ginger orange edamame and spicy Szechuan green beans. Another menu addition is the wok roasted vegetable salad with miso vinaigrette.

5. Patxi's Pizza is rolling out several healthier menu options at its Cherry Hills, Cherry Creek, and Uptown locations, including whole wheat pizza crust and low-fat mozzarella, as well as several salads and a antipasto plate. The pizza chain also offers gluten-free crust and dairy-free cheese. All of Paxti's pizza dough is vegan.

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